Optimal lot-sizing policy for a manufacturer with defective items in a supply chain with up-stream and down-stream trade credits

[[abstract]]In this paper, we establish an economic production quantity model for a manufacturer (or wholesaler) with defective items when its supplier offers an up-stream trade credit M while it in turn provides its buyers (or retailers) a down-stream trade credit N. The proposed model is in a general framework that includes numerous previous models as special cases. In contrast to the traditional differential calculus approach, we use a simple-to-understand and easy-to-apply arithmetic–geometric inequality method to find the optimal solution. Furthermore, we provide some theoretical results to characterize the optimal solution. Finally, several numerical examples are presented to illustrate the proposed model and the optimal solution.[[journaltype]]國外[[incitationindex]]SCI[[ispeerreviewed]]Y[[booktype]]電子

Measuring Technical Efficiency and Returns to Scale in Taiwan’s Baking Industry―A Case Study of the 85 °C Company

[[abstract]]Under an intense internationally competitive business environment, it is important to understand the production efficiency of the baking industry, where efficient management is becoming increasingly important to ensure the sustainable development of the company. Thus, this study uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) to appraise the performance of a well-known baking company (85 °C) and uses input and output constructs to measure its technical efficiency and scale efficiency scores to understand the major reasons for efficiency losses from 2011 to 2016. The empirical results indicate that low technical efficiency is the major reason for lower pure technical efficiency, since the scale efficiency is higher than pure technical efficiency. This means 85 °C is still improving overall operating efficiency and space efficiency. Moreover, the results also show that the III-generation operations style is more technically efficient and pure-technically efficient compared to those of I-generation and II-generation. Furthermore, the company’s financial performance is dependent upon the producer’s ability to stay on the production frontier due to the result of a positive relationship between return on assets (ROA) and technical efficiency. Last but not least, this study shows that 85 °C can gain higher performance and efficiency by enhancing technical efficiency and reinforcing strategic alignments with business goals.[[notice]]補正完

Self‐Healing Supramolecular Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering Applications

Self‐healing supramolecular hydrogels have emerged as a novel class of biomaterials that combine hydrogels with supramolecular chemistry to develop highly functional biomaterials with advantages including native tissue mimicry, biocompatibility, and injectability. These properties are endowed by the reversibly cross‐linked polymer network of the hydrogel. These hydrogels have great potential for realizing yet to be clinically translated tissue engineering therapies. This review presents methods of self‐healing supramolecular hydrogel formation and their uses in tissue engineering as well as future perspectives.Self‐healing supramolecular hydrogels are a novel class of biomaterials that offer unique advantages in tissue engineering. This review describes important methods of supramolecular hydrogel formation as well as recent advances and emerging applications of these hydrogels in regenerative medicine.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147853/1/mabi201800313_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147853/2/mabi201800313.pd

Seller’s optimal credit period and replenishment time in a supply chain with up-stream and down-stream trade credits

[[abstract]]In practice, a supplier often offers its retailers a permissible delay period M to settle their unpaid accounts. Likewise, a retailer in turn offers another trade credit period N to its customers. The benefits of trade credit are not only to attract new buyers who consider it a type of price reduction, but also to provide a competitive strategy other than introduce permanent price reductions. On the other hand, the policy of granting credit terms adds an additional cost to the seller as well as an additional dimension of default risk. In this paper, we first incorporate the fact that trade credit has a positive impact on demand but negative impacts on costs and default risks to establish an economic order quantity model for the seller in a supply chain with up-stream and down-stream trade credits. Then we derive the necessary and sufficient conditions to obtain the optimal replenishment time and credit period for the seller. Finally, we use some numerical examples to illustrate the theoretical results.[[incitationindex]]SCI[[booktype]]電子

3D bioactive composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

Bone is the second most commonly transplanted tissue worldwide, with over four million operations using bone grafts or bone substitute materials annually to treat bone defects. However, significant limitations affect current treatment options and clinical demand for bone grafts continues to rise due to conditions such as trauma, cancer, infection and arthritis. Developing bioactive three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds to support bone regeneration has therefore become a key area of focus within bone tissue engineering (BTE). A variety of materials and manufacturing methods including 3D printing have been used to create novel alternatives to traditional bone grafts. However, individual groups of materials including polymers, ceramics and hydrogels have been unable to fully replicate the properties of bone when used alone. Favourable material properties can be combined and bioactivity improved when groups of materials are used together in composite 3D scaffolds. This review will therefore consider the ideal properties of bioactive composite 3D scaffolds and examine recent use of polymers, hydrogels, metals, ceramics and bio-glasses in BTE. Scaffold fabrication methodology, mechanical performance, biocompatibility, bioactivity, and potential clinical translations will be discussed

Search for lepton-flavour-violating decays of the Higgs and Z bosons with the ATLAS detector

Direct searches for lepton flavour violation in decays of the Higgs and Z bosons with the ATLAS detector at the LHC are presented. The following three decays are considered: H→eτ, H→μτ, and Z→μτ. The searches are based on the data sample of proton–proton collisions collected by the ATLAS detector corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb−1 at a centre-of-mass energy of s√=8 TeV. No significant excess is observed, and upper limits on the lepton-flavour-violating branching ratios are set at the 95 % confidence level: Br (H→eτ)<1.04%, Br (H→μτ)<1.43%, and Br (Z→μτ)<1.69×10−5

Some aspects of Bayesian robustness

Robustness has always been an important element of the foundation of Statistics. However, it has only been in recent decades that attempts have been made to formalize the problem beyond ad hoc measures towards a theory of robustness. Robustness studies also have recently received considerable interest among Bayesians. Robust Bayesian analysis is the study of the sensitivity of Bayesian answers to uncertain inputs. These uncertain inputs are typically the model, prior distribution, or loss function, or some combination. Based on this reason, in this thesis we study the Bayesian robustness analysis for those typical uncertain inputs using different measures. In addition, the sensitivity analysis or the robustness issues in Bayesian inference can be classified into two broad categories: global and local sensitivity. In this thesis, we will mostly concentrate on the local sensitivity analysis for the prior and the likelihood to investigate the effects of perturbations. For weighted distribution problem, we also consider to perturb the weight function and develop local sensitivity analysis.

[[alternative]]證券發行與代理成本：東亞市場的實證

[[abstract]]We investigate the announcement returns and long run performance of SEOs conducted by public firms in four East Asia markets in the period from 2003 to 2015. The shareholder approval is required for equity issuance in our sample. The empirical results show that both the announcement and post-issue abnormal returns are significantly negative. Our findings contradict the evidences in Holderness (2018) that the announcement returns are significantly positive for SEOs when shareholders must vote to approve equity issuances. Our results of long-run underperformance also demonstrate that mandatory shareholder approval does not effectively mitigate the managerial agency problem associated with SEOs. 本文檢視東亞股票市場上市公司在現金增資宣告報酬以及長期績效，研究期間為2003年至2015年。在研究期間內，這些股市的現金增資都需要經過股東大會的核准。Holderness（2018）主張，若現金增資需要經股東核准，可以降低代理問題，因此其宣告報酬為正，然而本文的實證研究結果顯示，平均的宣告報酬與發行後的長期績效都是為負且統計顯著，與Holderness（2018）的主張並不一致。此外，關於負的長期績效，本文的實證發現，需要強制性的股東同意權的規定，並不能實質地改善現金增資所產生的管理者代理問題。[[notice]]補正完

Optimal trade credit and order quantity when trade credit impacts on both demand rate and default risk

[[abstract]]In practice, to attract new buyers and to avoid lasting price competition, a seller frequently offers its buyers a permissible delay in payment (ie, trade credit). However, the policy of granting a permissible delay in payment adds an additional dimension of default risk to the seller. In contrast to previous researchers for finding optimal solutions to buyers, we first propose an economic order quantity model from the seller's prospective to determine its optimal trade credit and order quantity simultaneously. In addition, we incorporate the important and relevant fact that trade credit has a positive impact on demand rate but a negative impact on receiving the buyer's debt obligations. Then the necessary and sufficient conditions to obtain the seller's optimal trade credit and order quantity are derived. An algorithm to determine the seller's optimal trade credit is also proposed. Finally, we use some numerical examples to illustrate the theoretical results and to provide some managerial insights.[[incitationindex]]SCI[[booktype]]電子

Equity issuances and agency costs: additional evidences from East Asia markets

[[abstract]]We investigate the announcement returns and long run performance of SEOs conducted by public firms in four East Asia markets in the period from 2003 to 2015. The shareholder approval is required for equity issuance in our sample. The empirical results show that both the announcement and post-issue abnormal returns are significantly negative. Our findings contradict the evidences in Holderness (2018) that the announcement returns are significantly positive for SEOs when shareholders must vote to approve equity issuances. Our results of long-run underperformance also demonstrate that mandatory shareholder approval does not effectively mitigate the managerial agency problem associated with SEOs.[[notice]]補正完